holographicbutch

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Wool-Carder Bees: these solitary bees harvest the soft, downy hairs that grow on certain plants, rolling them into bundles and then using the material to line their nests

Wool-carder bees build their nests in existing cavities, usually finding a hole/crevice in a tree, a plant stem, a piece of rotting wood, or a man-made structure, and then lining the cavity with woolly plant fibers, which are used to form a series of brood cells.

The fibers (known as trichomes) are collected from the leaves and stems of various plants, including lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantina), mulleins, globe thistle, rose campion, and other fuzzy plants.

From the University of Florida's Department of Entomology & Nematology:

The female uses her toothed mandibles to scrape trichomes off fuzzy plants and collects a ball of the material under her abdomen. She transports these soft plant fibers to her selected nest site and uses them to line a brood cell. Next, she collects and deposits a provision of pollen and nectar into the cell, enough pollen to feed a larva until it is ready to pupate. Lastly, she lays a single egg on top of the pollen and nectar supply before sealing the cell. ... She will repeat this process with adjoining cells until the cavity is full.

These are solitary bees, meaning that they do not form colonies or live together in hives. Each female builds her own nest, and the males do not have nests at all.

Female wool-carder bees will sometimes sting if their nest is threatened, but they are generally docile. The males are notoriously aggressive, however; they will often chase, head-butt, and/or wrestle any other insect that invades their territory, and they may defend their territory from intruders up to 70 times per hour. The males do not have stingers, but there are five tiny spikes located on the last segment of their abdomen, and they often use those spikes when fighting. They also have strong, sharp mandibles that can crush other bees.

There are many different types of wool-carder bee, but the most prolific is the European wool-carder (Anthidium manicatum), which is native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa, but has also become established as an invasive species throughout much of North America, most of South America, and New Zealand. It is the most widely distributed unmanaged bee in the world.

A few different species of wool-carder bee: the top row depicts the European wool-carder, A. manicatum (left) and the spotted wool-carder, Anthidium maculosum (right), while the bottom row depicts the reticulated small-woolcarder, Pseudoanthidium reticulatum, and Porter's wool-carder, Anthidium porterae

Sources & More Info:

University of Florida: The Woolcarder Bee

Oregon State University: European Woolcarder Bees

Bohart Museum of Entomology: Facts about the Wool Carder Bee (PDF)

Bumblebee Conservation Trust: A. manicatum

World's Best Gardening Blog: European Wool Carder Bees - Likeable Bullies

Biological Invasions: Global Invasion by Anthidium manicatum

#bugs

[holographicbutch]

everyone's got that one homie who zealously adheres to his inflexible code of honor even though it has long since become a burden to him

[holographicbutch]

what’s your preferred sleep aid?

• prescribed sleep medication

• marijuana (smoked)

• marijuana (edibles)

• over-the-counter melatonin

• chamomile tea

• a sleep aid not listed here (tags?)

• i don’t use a sleep aid/results

#over the counter melatonin is the closest thing to what i actually do. which is take ibuprofen pms lmao

[holographicbutch]

I watched dungeon meshi and I just had to

#dungeon meshi #inspiration

[holographicbutch]

As someone who works w animals “animals are not mindless automatons, they actually do have feelings and individuality and are capable of feeling acute physical and emotional pain and of forming deep attachments with other animals and people” and “animals are not human infants and have a limited capacity to communicate with humans so you have to familiarize yourself with their boundaries bc if they feel threatened or overstimulated they will fall back on their basic instincts and if you fuck around you are going to find out” are statements that can and should coexist

[holographicbutch]

goodnight, darling...

#dungeon meshi #farcille #♡♡♡

[holographicbutch]

"virgin" airlines? heh... not after I'm done with em...

[holographicbutch]

Hey, PSA for younger/newer transmascs:

Tumblr has been showing targeted ads for "FTM binders" off Amazon. They look like this:

Do not buy these.

A binder is a piece of medical equipment. If you use one incorrectly, or use a poorly made one, you can really fuck up your ribs. This article from the Cleveland Clinic talks about how to bind safely.

A $14 binder is guaranteed not to be safe. There's a reason reputable companies charge more- sometimes a lot more. They have to carefully design binders so they don't crush your ribs or make you sick.

You know how everyone says Don't Bind With Duct Tape? Don't bind with Amazon binders.

[holographicbutch]

Stray cat breaks into Lynx’s enclosure at zoo

(Source)

#video #cats #all cats is the same

[holographicbutch]

I'm WHEEZING

[holographicbutch]

ok stupid question my bad

#ace attorney

[holographicbutch]

i cannot possibly be the first person who has had this idea

#video #ace attorney #omg my friend sent me this the other day its so good

[holographicbutch]

[holographicbutch]

I'm built different. like incorrectly i think

[holographicbutch]

This has been sitting in my WIP for a while now but here’s a little animation of the bwee audio because I couldn’t get tired of hearing it

#video #disco elysium #animation #these expressions are so good here omg he looks so sweet. smiles :)

[holographicbutch]

made yet another silly disco elysium animatic. song is “The Communists Have The Music” by they might be giants. 

#video #disco elysium #perfect

[holographicbutch]

remember that Grinch's ultimatum meme? I made this redraw 2 years ago but I only bothered to finish it now lol

#video #disco elysium #time to look up the video this is referencing